The Graduate Program at a Glance

The Wake Forest School of Medicine Department of Biochemistry offers
the Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology through the Graduate School of Wake Forest University, and
is recruiting highly motivated and enthusiastic students interested in training
for a successful career in biomedical sciences. Students interested in
obtaining a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology apply to the Molecular and Cellular
Biosciences Track, a recently designed integrated curriculum that
was inaugurated in the 2011-2012 academic year. Students in the
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate program benefit from a low student
to faculty ratio and a collegial atmosphere that promotes faculty-student
interactions and a strong training environment.

Atrium at Wake
Forest Biotech Place,
location of many of the laboratories in the Department of Biochemistry and
courses taught in the Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Track.

The Master of Science in Biomedical Science Program

The faculty of the Department of Biochemistry welcomes students in the
Master of Science in Biomedical Science Program. The Master of Science degree
is a full-time, graduate degree option that is designed to help students with a
bachelor’s degree, preferably with a major in the sciences, improve their
academic foundation in the biomedical sciences, and augment their credentials
for admission into health professional programs, Ph.D. study in the sciences,
or entrance to the workforce. Students in the Master of Science Program have
the option to transition to the Ph.D. program. A detailed description of the
Master of Science Program can be found at the Master
of Science in Biomedical Science Program
web site.

Fields of Research

The research interests of the faculty are
focused in four inter-related areas that address fundamentally important
biological questions:

Signal
transduction in cancer and inflammation

Nucleic
acid metabolism in cancer and inflammation

Redox
biology

Metabolic
diseases such as diabetes and atherosclerosis

The Department features research and training in four key technologies
that form the core of modern Biochemistry:

Structural
Biology

Molecular
Biology

Genetics/Genomics

Proteomics/Metabolomics

Details of our research programs can be
found in the Laboratory Page of individual faculty members

Collaborative Training and Research

Department of Biochemistry faculty members participate in multiple
interdisciplinary efforts in graduate student training. For example, the
following NIH Institutional Training Grants (T32 grants) have Biochemistry
faculty members as part of their training faculty:

In addition to the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate
program, Department of Biochemistry faculty members also participate in
additional graduate programs, whose students may be working beside you in the
laboratory:

Research
in the Department of Biochemistry is highly collaborative. Faculty members and
students participate in the activities of a variety of research centers whose
missions include promoting research collaborations. These include:

Students apply to the Molecular and Cellular
Biosciences (MCB) Track. The MCB Admissions Committee evaluates
applications based on undergraduate research experience, grade point average,
the verbal and quantitative scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE),
the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) in the case of applicants for
whom English is not the native language, letters of reference, and a statement
of personal interests. Selected applicants will be invited for an interview
during the process of consideration. Major criteria for evaluation of the
interview are the degree of motivation for a career in science and the quality
and extent of the applicant’s undergraduate scientific training.

Degree Requirements

Students participate in the MCB common curriculum in the first year.
This curriculum includes two Core Courses that cover macromolecular synthesis,
structure and function; gene expression and genetics; cell structure and
communication; organ systems integration, and physiology and pathology. In
addition, students take a course in analytical skills and at least three
electives. Students also participate in at least three individual laboratory
research rotations in their first year in order to choose a faculty research
advisor. Students choosing to pursue a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology enter the program at the beginning of the second year. The Ph.D.
preliminary examination is completed at the end of the second year, after the
student has passed all required courses. In subsequent years students primarily
continue with laboratory research under the direction of their research
advisor. Completion of the Ph.D. degree requires the student to generate a body
of original research and an oral defense of a written research dissertation. A
detailed description of the degree requirements can be found at Guidelines for Graduate
Students.

Research Facilities

The Department of Biochemistry has state-of-the-art facilities for use
by students and postdoctoral fellows. Students are encouraged to develop a
hands-on understanding of the instrumentation used in their research.
Laboratories for macromolecular X-ray crystallography and high-resolution NMR
spectrometry as well as, rapid reaction kinetics, time-resolved fluorescence
spectroscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy, phosphorimaging, dynamic light
scattering, cellular imaging, and analytical ultracentrifugation have been
established to meet the needs of investigators. The professionally staffed Biomolecular Resource Core Facilities are
also available for protein and DNA sequence analysis, peptide and
oligonucleotide synthesis, GC- and tandem mass spectrometry.

Financial Aid

All
Ph.D. students in the Department of Biochemistry are fully supported
financially by tuition scholarships and graduate research assistantships.
Additional scholar achievement awards are offered to select outstanding
applicants. Students who have advanced to candidacy are also eligible to
compete for the department’s prestigious Artom and Cowgill Fellowships, which
provide additional stipend and support for travel to scientific conferences.
Upper level students are invited to compete for the Cheung award, awarded
by the Department to an outstanding student in Biochemistry each year.

Aerial view of the Medical Center and downtown
Winston-Salem

Wake Forest University and Winston-Salem

Wake Forest University has earned a reputation of distinction among institutions
of higher learning and supports a community of widely acclaimed scholars in
many disciplines. The University is ranked among the 50 most competitive
American colleges and universities. The Bowman Gray Campus, home of the Wake
Forest School of Medicine, the Reynolda Campus, and the Wake Forrest Innovation
Quarter are located within a short driving distance of one another. The medical
center ranks among the top 40 institutions nationally in federal research
funding. Wake Forest is located in Winston-Salem, a city of about 236,000 in the northern
Piedmont region of North Carolina noted for its exceptional programs in the fine
arts and for Old Salem, a
restored village on the site of the original 18th century Moravian settlement.

Correspondence and Information

Please send e-mail to biochemrecruit@wakehealth.edu if you are interested in
obtaining more information about the Biochemistry Graduate program, or write to
the address below.

Disclaimer: The information on this website is for general informational purposes only and SHOULD NOT be relied upon as a substitute for sound professional medical advice, evaluation or care from your physician or other qualified health care provider.